Shatter Me

Well colour me surprised.
 

I checked this book out of the library on a whim and stared at it for a while, worrying that it was going to be the book that broke my good book streak. And while the first 60 pages were a struggle, somewhere around the time that we meet Adam and the story becomes more than just Juliette being alone in a cell for some unknown reason, something clicked and I could not put this bloody thing down.
 

Let me put this out there straight away. I can totally see why this has been optioned for tv. It’s almost as if it was written to be adapted into a TV show. There is so much happening, but not actually much plot. There is heaps of action. There is sexual tension. There is the possibility of our leading lady touching people and accidentally killing them. It is rivetting stuff.
 

And while this is a good thing, because it was compelling and kept me feverishly turning the pages, everything always seemed a little too… convenient. I don’t know, something about it just always seemed a little too easy. Like any obstacle that came up, would be conquered, purely because it was our characters who were facing it.
 

Honestly, I thought there would be more plot twists. I was expecting some giant double cross that never came and I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. Perhaps I am expecting too much from a YA novel? Have I been reading too many novels that play with my mind and make me second guess everything? I don’t know. I never thought I would be saying that I wanted more angst in a book, but there you go.
 

In addition to this, the writing may be an issue for some. Not everyone will enjoy this. After a while, the strikeout text didn’t bother me any more, but I can see that it could irritate people to no end. The repetitive adjectives and weird sentence structure at times may also put some people off, and while I do not feel that they were a necessary part of telling the story, it didn’t really hamper my reading experience.
 

However I spin this, it was an enjoyable read and I absolutely ate the book up, flowery writing, strike out text, convenient plot twists and all. I am intrigued to see where the series goes, as there are plenty of unanswered questions in this, but I am worried that it will go the way of Divergent and go downhill, fast, so I think I will hold off for a little while.
 

If X-Men and Divergent had a love child, that is what I imagine Shatter Me to be. And while I still wanted more out of the story, I enjoyed this reading experience, Adam is a sweetheart, Juliette is just starting to come into her own and I look forward to continuing this series at some point in the future.
 

3.5 touch-me Stars
 

 

“God, Juliette, I’d follow you anywhere. You’re the only good thing left in this world.”

Ruin & Rule Advanced Review Copy

What would you do if you woke up and didn’t know your name? What you look like? Where you are and how you got there? What if a strange man you don’t ever remember meeting before stirs things inside you that you don’t know how to react to? Do you know this man, does he knows you? Does he have the answers to all your questions? Will he tell you, even if he does….?



This book is a masterpiece in mind-fuckery. There is simply no better way to put it. Do we trust Killian? Do we trust Wallstreet? Do we trust our self? How can we trust in our self when our mind is rebelling against us and refuses to let us remember anything from our life? Do we even want answers to the questions in our life? Perhaps our mind is protecting us.

This is just some of what you will experience while reading this book. There is a love story in here, but it is buried under so much filth, grime, betrayal and anger that it’s easy to forget it is there, much like our leading lady has forgotten every experience she has ever had, due to her amnesia.

This was a very interesting reading experience. I think I was more confused reading the first 100 pages of this book, than I have ever been while reading anything. And this is because I felt like I was our leading lady. I felt like I had to learn everything again along with her, and was floundering in the water of learning, just as she was. But don’t let that put you off, it is engaging and written in such a way that you won’t want to put it down. 

This gave me so many mixed emotions, it was a roller coaster, that’s for sure. Arthur ‘Kill‘ Killian is a very broken man. He is hot, he is cold, he is brutal and he is mean. He is what I call a “grade A asshole.” And while he has some redeeming qualities, I can’t get over some of the things he did in this book. There is violence against women in this book. There is people trafficking. There is death. And he is at the center of it all. Honestly this is dark and depressing as shit. But it is bloody fascinating at the same time. Like a train wreck, it’s hard to look away. 

The flashbacks, when our leading lady gets trickles of her memories coming through, those were some of the sweetest parts of this book. They were always timed and placed in a way that shone a little bit of light in the dark corners of this story, there to remind us that there is always hope.

Ever since I fell in love with Sons Of Anarchy, I have been on the look out for an MC romance that would interest and excite me as much as the show did. And I think I found it in this book. 

Look, there are flaws here, that’s for bloody sure. Our leading lady was a pushover at times, loyal to a fault, and Killian is an utter douchebag for a lot of the time. There is also a lot of sex in this that I wouldn’t consider safe (just because you have an IUD doesn’t mean you won’t get an STD, my dear) and there was a lot of typical NA “I’m keeping this secret from you to protect you” crap going on in the second half… And overall I feel like I am left with more questions than answers, but I just want to keep reading. It’s very rare that I want to keep reading in spite of all these things… But I do. I just want to know! I need answers.

This was interesting. It was different. It was not what I was expecting at all. This is not a redemption story, it is a story of loyalty, betrayal and revenge. 



And one thing is for certain, I can’t wait for the next installment to be released.

4 as-you-wish Stars!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review originally posted here: Little Purple Crayon

Radiance

 

 

 

This book has been on my radar for a while, and when it was picked as a possible buddy read for Machalo Group, I jumped on board the Radiance wagon and campaigned my little heart out (this involved me mainly just posting RADIANCE! and YAS! on anyone who mentioned it’s status and replies).

I am glad I did, this was an enjoyable read.

What would you do if you had to marry someone who wasn’t even the same species as you, in order to solidify a treaty between your two nations? A “man” who, to your eyes, is hideous? And what if the “man” you were to marry, thought exactly the same of you, that you were, and I quote, “a hag of a woman.”

While this political manouvering and intrigue is the backdrop for this story, the real winner here is the friendship that develops between our two main characters, Brishen and Ildiko. Their banter often had me chuckling out loud and the way their relationship progressed from mere acquaintences, to friends, to lovers, was just lovely.

 

“You make a very handsome dead eel, my husband.”

“For a boiled mollusk, you wear black quite well, my wife.”

The writing was a little flowery at times, and I still have no idea how you are meant to say the word “herceges“, but overall, for a fantasy novel this was incredibly easy to read and digest.

 

“I will conquer kingdoms for you if you but ask it of me Ildiko.”

I’m just going to put it out there that the ending for me seemed… unfulfilling. Honestly, without the epilogue at the end, it seemed like a standalone novel, not the start of a series. But having said that, I found the whole thing to be so enjoyable that I would happily read the next installment. 
 

3.5 eat-your-potato-Brishen Stars

 

“I love you, my blood-thirsty hag.”

The Strongest Steel – Advanced Review Copy

What a fucking rollercoaster.

I don’t think I have cried so much in a book since reading this fucking tearjerker. Within the first twenty pages I was bawling and although it did not maintain this level of intensity the entire way through, it was a fantastic start.

Seriously, this was me, for the first 50% of this book:

Honestly, for the first 50% of this, I thought that this was a true contender for my first five star review, it affected me that much. But the second half, it lost steam and all the typical NA bullshit started appearing, really tarnishing the entire set up.

When we meet Harper, she can’t stand to be touched, she was abused by her psychopath of an ex boyfriend and is still living with the scars from his abuse. For four years she has lived a pretty much soulless existence, just getting by in life, never putting down roots in case she has to run again. One day she manages to gather the courage to go to Second Circle Tattoos and ask for Trent’s help in covering up the scars she has. Trent prides himself on doing great scar cover up tattoos, and the two of them form a connection that goes beyond tattoo artist and client. Love blossoms and things progress, and then drama unfolds as it always does in NA and things go a bit off the rails.

Reading about Harpers past and what has happened to her is tough. We get trickles of the story, as she opens up more and more to Trent, or as she has flashbacks and breakdowns. Telling her story, whilst getting tattooed, is cathartic for her, and this had me wiping my eyes, but what really made me cry the most was Trent’s reaction to it all. 

“I see a woman who made it through whatever she had to do to put him away. I see a woman who created a new life for herself somewhere else so she could feel safe. I see a woman who is getting past this one step at a time, doing the best she can, and who, with each step, reclaims a little bit of herself.”

Trent. Oh my gosh. So careful. So tender. So wonderfully supportive and helpful to Harper, all he wants to do is help her rediscover the woman she once was. I would like a Trent please. That guy, stole my heart.

Harper. My gosh. My heart was breaking with every page I read about what she went through. No one should have to go through what she experienced. But the fact that she makes a conscious decision to do something about her circumstance is what I admire about her the most. And she didn’t stop at covering up her scars, she went and took self defence classes, to give herself more confidence, so that she would never feel as helpless as when she was attacked, ever again.

“Did you know that two out of three acts of violence against women in the United States are by someone they know? I’m a walking statistic.”

So while we had great characters and a fucking moving backstory, the typical NA shit came along, the misunderstandings, the secrets, the omissions, the stalking ex boyfriend sending coded text messages, the random girl at the bar trying to make out with Trent, and then the big finale, it just seemed so, trivial and unnecessary, especially in the face of the trauma of the past. I can see why it is there, to keep the momentum of the story moving along, but I seriously would have preferred to just read about Trent and Harpers blossoming relationship and her getting over her fears. If that makes me boring, so be it.

There was also an entire chapter somewhere in the second half that was dedicated to metal music. I think we now by now how I feel about music in books, no thank you. 

The back up characters in this were fun. It really felt like they were there for a reason, not just being intoduced to us so we can read about them in the following novels. 

But the best thing this book did was show the progression that Harper made in her life. It took her a freaking long time, but eventually she realised that she was tough, beautiful and deserving of a life filled with love and anything else her heart might desire.

This was a well written debut, that had a powerful start, a fluffy middle and a decent ending, I would have enjoyed a touch less drama, but I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment. 

3.5 I-want-to-be-normal-with-you Stars

“You’re made for each other. You’re better people because of each other. It really bothers me that you’re going to fuck up the best thing that could have happened to the two of you.”

*Please note trigger warnings for the following: domestic violence, abuse, self harm.*

Many thanks for the ARC from St. Martins via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, quotes taken from my ARC, may differ in the final release version.

The Strongest Steel comes out on July 7th! 

Poison Study

 

“Deep down in the small corners of my heart I still clung to the hope that I might find a true friend.”

Don’t we all? I think that is what worked the best about this book, even in the most dire of circumstances, there was always a sense of hope.

When we meet our leading lady, Yelena, she has been kept in a dungeon for the past year, awaiting sentencing for killing her foster fathers son. The day of her execution, she is offered a choice, become the Commanders food taster, or hang. She chooses to become the food taster and what unfolds is a series of intrigues that have her learning new and exciting skills, making friends and enemies within the castle walls, whilst learning about herself and the mysterious powers she seems to possess. Yelena will have to discover who she can trust in the castle and who is really looking out for her, while also making sure she doesn’t die from the poison she was given on her first day as a food taster, which she needs the antidote to every morning, in order to survive.

This book was a grower. While it did not blow me out of the water straight away, it grew on me with every page that I turned. It had everything I enjoy, magic, mystery, unique and interesting characters and of course, a dash of romance to keep things fresh.

“He still held on to my hand, and I couldn’t summon the willpower to pull it back. The warmth of his touch coursed through my body, temporarily vanquishing my aches and pains.”

I’m not going to lie, the romance with Valek was my favourite part of the book. But the friendships she builds with Ari, Janco and Maren were also great. Yelena herself was quite likeable, but she was a little skittish, and there were certain things that annoyed me about her. For example, she was constantly surprised that Valek would turn up around the castle, I don’t know if her powers of observation weren’t that great, but if I were living in the same quarters as someone, I would think to notice what they look like so that I am not constantly surprised when I see them around the place. And her constant jumping to conclusions that she had “been found out” anytime anything even remotely magical occured, got a little tiresome.

This book was beautifully written. It had some of the most descriptive and evocative writing I have come across in a long time, and I was in tears reading Yelena’s past and what was done to her in her time in Brazell’s compound. Reyad deserved everything that he got and I hope he burns in the fires of hell for eternity.

I saw most, if not all, the major plot twists coming well ahead of time, and while this did not hinder my enjoyment of the book overall, I would have loved to have been surprised. The tension in this was very well done, and there was an ominous sense of foreboding with everything that Yelena did, would today be the day that she dies from poison in the Commanders food? Is there any way to escape her fate? Does she even believe in fate? Does she have a reason to hope?

“Valek released my hands and stood. I sat, watching him with surprise as he swooped down to lift me from the couch. Wordless, he carried me to my room and laid me on the bed.”

There is always a reason to hope.

This book had amazing reviews from some of my friends on Goodreads, so I was incredibly excited when my hold came up at the library in record time, and while I did enjoy it, I’m sorry to say I did not love it as much as you.

I would happily continue the series though, as it was enjoyable and I want to see where it goes.

3.5 Valek-can-poison-me-anyday Stars

Onyx – Lux #2

OH. My. Gosh. WOW.

It’s been a while since I have been so invested in a book. 

Daemon & Katy. You make me feel so many things. I did not think it was possible to experience so many emotions in the span of one book, but holy shit, JLA NAILS the tension in this.

First things first, DAEMON. I WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABIES.

And moving right along….

I was a little wary going into this because I heard there was a love triangle, but honestly, who are we kidding, Katy is always going to end up with Daemon, because, duh, he’s Daemon. 

I can honestly say that he is one of the best characters I think I have ever read. Look out Terrible, Daemon is quickly gaining on you. He is such a MESS. He doesn’t know what he wants, how to express his feelings or how to be with Katy. He is hot. Cold. Distant. Then he flicks a switch and becomes super macho alpha man. I LOVE YOU.

“Do you think I didn’t enjoy kissing you? That I haven’t thought about it every second since then?”

Katy, my book blogging nerd-fest of a girl. You are great. But this time around, you were even more naive than in the first one. She still held her own, but made more stupid and foolish decisions, which were a little grating. Like, honestly, if Daemon tells you to stay in the car, why don’t you just stay in the fucking car? Urgh. She had me facepalming a couple of times, but she always had a reason for what she was doing and she didn’t want to be a burden on Daemon, wanted to make her own way in the world and I respect that. 

“I’ve always wanted you, even when I hated you. I want you even though you drive me freaking insane.”

I’m not going to give an outline of the plot because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read the first one yet. There was so much happening in this book. SO MUCH! So much intrigue and deception and all around badassery. I wasn’t bored for a single second.  I wanted to tear my hair out several times because Daemon & Katy were so infuriating with their inability to communicate properly… But overall this was such an engaging and exciting read I could hardly put it down.

This book. It was so heartbreaking, gut wrenching, hair-tearing-outingly good. THE TENSION. FAR OUT. Oh. My gosh. And that ending! Urgh! Give me the next one, STAT!

4 Daemon-makes-me-drool-on-myself Stars

“Can I…? Can I just hold you? That’s all… That’s all I want.”

*swoon*

Half-Blood

Urgh.

 

I didn’t read the blurb of this before I decided to request it from my library. I was just so excited to read something else written by JLA that I jumped in straight away. I should have just waited for ONYX to be available at the library instead….

 

This story is about the students at a school for pure-blood and half-blood demigods, called The Covenant. Alex, our leading lady, is a half-blood, and was whisked away from the Covenant by her mother three years ago, and after tragic circumstances, she returns to the school, but things aren’t the same as when she left. She is behind in her training, there are daimons on the loose and one of them seems to be after her. Add to this the tension of training every day with the guy she used to have a massive crush on, and a bunch of other pointless tension building things, and you get the idea here.

 

This was so similar to Vampire Academy that I was nearly tearing my hair out for the first 100 pages. Alex was a stubborn, annoying, idiotic brat for the most part, and I don’t know if she got less annoying as the book wore on, or if I just ended up getting used to her stupidity.

 

The only thing that got me through this book was Aiden. I very nearly gave up on this book, but every time I was considering DNF-ing it, Aiden would swoop in with a kind word or a suggestive touch and I would be feverishly waiting for his return.

Overall, this was an average read. The world building didn’t jump out at me, the characters, when they weren’t being hellishly annoying, were pretty lackluster and the love triangle that got thrown in there about half way through… Just didn’t do it for me. 

I don’t think I will continue with this series, I’ll save myself for Daemon and the Lux team.  

 

 2 Aiden-you-can-rub-ointment-on-my-back-any-day Stars

 

Half A King

“He had always been weak, but he never felt truly powerless until they made him a king.”

This book.

I am in awe. It was heartbreaking. It was horrible. It was moving. It was a story of persistence and triumph against all odds.

This tells the story of Yarvi, the crippled Prince of Gettland, who becomes King after his father and elder brother are murdered under a shroud of intrigue. Yarvi, having only one good hand, and growing up being reminded of that fact every day, does not see himself as a King and has little faith in himself. Betrayed by those closest to him soon into his reign, Yarvi is thrust into a world he knows little about and has to learn not only how to survive, but who he really is, along the way.

“Here you could learn what you were truly worth, and Yarvi had learned what he had long suspected. He was close to worthless.”

I took my time with this lovely book, because I wanted to savor the gorgeous prose. The world that is painted is so vivid and the character building is solid, and there were so many profound things stated by the characters that sometimes I just wanted to sit and let them sink in.

“But Yarvi had no pride. It had been shamed out of him by his father. Tricked out of him by Odem. Beaten out of him on the South Wind. Frozen out of him in the wasteland. He had been kneeling all his life, to kneel a little longer was no hardship.”

I loved Yarvi. What a fantastic character. He has been told so often that he is nothing but half a man because of his crippled hand, that he believes it himself. This makes it absolutely heartbreaking to see his inner thoughts, but it is mentioned only enough to remind you, not enough to irritate. 

What happened to Yarvi was horrific but the way he kept going, even under the most trying of circumstances, was so rewarding.

His merry band of misfits was great too. Sumael, Nothing, Ankran, Rulf and Jaud. Loveable and laughable at the same time. I hope to see more of Sumael in the coming books, I found her intriguing. 

The plot twists at the end, I was surprised by one, and guessed the other. But wow. What a web of intrigue, I can’t wait to read the next one. 

This is a story of betrayal. It is a story of redemption. Is it a story of never giving up. And most of all, it is a story of vengeance. 

It is also a story of never listening to what others say about you, because what would they know, anyway?

“And he realised then that he had not lost all those times in the training square because he lacked the skill, or the strength, or even a hand. He had lacked the will. And somewhere on the South Wind, somewhere in the trackless ice, somewhere in this ancient ruin, he had found it.”

4 Stars!

Obsidian – Lux #1

Holy shit.

What is happening to me?

I’m liking all these books that are meant to be so trashtastic it is unbelievable.

This was on my “i-know-its-going-to-be-bad” shelf and yet, it surprised me with how good it was.

I really, and by really, I mean, REALLY, enjoyed this book.

Daemon was such a complete and utter asshole. What a great character. Hot. Cold. Sending mixed signals. So confusing for Katy, but fascinating to read.

Katy. She actually has some depth to her and other than she turns into a complete klutz around hot guys (what teenage girl doesn’t?) and has a stubborn streak to rival a mule, shes actually pretty self sufficient. Also she has a book blog and is a complete book nerd, so mega brownie points for that.

Them together. OH! The banter. The insults. The passion. ❤

“Yeah, I’m not holding your hand.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not going to hold hands with you when I don’t even like you.”

The tension in this. Oh my gosh. The hate/love relationship with Katy & Daemon really adds to their sexual tension. Goodness me.

Anyone remember the TV show Roswell? Well, this book is like Roswell. I think that is why I enjoyed it so much.

I’m not even calling this a guilty pleasure – I fell absolutely no guilt or shame about liking this. This is pure pleasure. This is the reason I read YA, for gems like this.

OH. I just really enjoyed this, JLA is a great writer and I already have the next book on hold at the library. I need more! YAS!

LOVE

4 Beam-me-up-Daemon Stars!

Dragon Bound – The Elder Races #1

Who the hell knew I would enjoy a dragon romance novel?
 
I certainly didn’t. I had this on my “i-know-its-going-to-be-bad” shelf, and yet it was positively addictive.
 
You know what I really enjoy? Characters who are introduced to us as assholes, who grow and learn, but they don’t make any excuses for who they are and they don’t change just because they fall in love.  
 
Much like my love, Panty. Melting. Andrew, Dragos had me from the very beginning.

What is happening to me? I usually hate the alpha-dominant-possessive-you-are-mine bullshit, but Dragos. Oh Dragos.
 
You. Are. Mine.
 
I want to eat your twizzlers. Drink your cherry coke. Give you your penny back. Go to the otherworld and fight goblins with you. Have your half breed babies. Yep.
 
Look. In all honesty, this book is ridiculous. I got some super weird looks while reading this paperback on the train. But you know what, I’m calling it a guilty pleasure. A lot of nothing happened in this book. A LOT, of nothing. But the banter between Dragos and Pia kept me turning the pages and the sex in this. Oh boy, the sex. *fans self*
 
The writing wasn’t my favourite, there were plenty of times that I felt like I really had to work to be engaged in the story as it just didn’t flow like I wanted it to. This could have something to do with being the first book in a series and there being an overload of information and characters to deal with, but I was always rewarded for my perserverance when I kept reading.  
 
I just have to put this out there too, that the big reveal about what Pia actually is, was so incredibly amazing and cheesetastic, I actually bark laughed on the train.
 
This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I found the world building fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I would happily continue on with this series, when I am in the mood for something that is so crazy, it’s good.
 
This is a big ridiculous dragon burger, smothered in cheese, with a side of awesomesauce. 
 
3 I-want-to-have-your-babies-Dragos Stars.

Original review can be found here: Dragon Bound Goodreads